Sport Climbing’s Debut Will Have to Wait.

In an unprecedented decision, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a joint statement with the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee declaring that they would be postponing the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo Japan, which was originally supposed to begin on June 24, as a precaution to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the climbing community, this means that they will have to wait to see Sport Climbing make its debut as the organizations stated, “beyond 2020, but no later than summer 2021.”

Rumors circulated after the IOC convened on Sunday, March 22 to discuss the possibility of postponing the event and one of the senior members, Dick Pound made a statement on Monday, March 23 that by the end of the meeting, they had agreed they were going to move forward with the postponement, but would take the time to look into the ramifications of this decision and come up with a plan before making an official statement.

While we don’t envy the task the IOC has before them, the entire world seems to be in agreement that the health & safety of the entire population of the human race has necessitated the need for such drastic measures.

While a setback for sure, a delay doesn’t mean a cancellation as we wait patiently as a community for the end of the pandemic to come and for everyone to go back to their normal lives before these difficult times.

UPDATE: The IOC has announced the new dates for the Olympics will be from June 23, 2021 to August 8, 2021.

Keep it locked here as we update this article to be your main hub for all things Olympic in the sport of climbing. Our next Olympic article will focus on the current state of competitive climbing from what’s happening in your local gym to around the globe, but if you missed out on our Sport Climbing primer or our breakdown on Team USA, check those out first!

• Olympic Sport Climbing
• America’s First Olympic Climbing Team
• A Closer Look at Competitive Climbing
• More to come!